Your fedora vs you're wearing a fedora + there, they're & their....

[gtdean48]

... I thought my use of the words "orthography" and "surmise" were giveaways, but senses of humor aren't always perceived clearly...

It made me look up orthography....learn something new every day plus I appreciate your dry wit....

 

[-30-]

"It made me look up orthography....learn something new every day plus I appreciate your dry wit...."
QUOTE: gtdean48.

+1.


Regards,
-30-

 

[Lt.Tom]

Oh, I don't mind a little fun at my expense. It bothers me that I don't know, so I was really hoping for an answer to the question. Until I find out I'll restructure my sentences to avoid having to know. I'm wondering what it says about the state of education in the US that after doing well all through public school, college, and seminary, I still have to ask the question.

 

[gtdean48]

Oh, I don't mind a little fun at my expense. It bothers me that I don't know, so I was really hoping for an answer to the question. Until I find out I'll restructure my sentences to avoid having to know. I'm wondering what it says about the state of education in the US that after doing well all through public school, college, and seminary, I still have to ask the question.

I don't see anything improper with saying "this fedora's brim"....or "that fedora's liner"....looks like proper grammar to me.
But you did misspell "grammar" in your question =

hatsRme I think maybe technically you're correct. While we're pondering technicalities, is it improper then, to call it a fedora's liner, or a fedora's brim? I'm asking without a trace of sarcasm, as grammer was not really my best subject.

 

[fenris]

tough, enough, though, through, ought, bough, cough....
http://suzyred.com/oughsong.html

LAUGHTER... Pronounced laff-ter...

MANSLAUGHTER... Shouldn't it be "Man's laff-ter"?

Imagine that. You can get jailed for laughing...

 

[tealseal]

hatsRme I think maybe technically you're correct. While we're pondering technicalities, is it improper then, to call it a fedora's liner, or a fedora's brim? I'm asking without a trace of sarcasm, as grammer was not really my best subject.

This is a very interesting question, especially considering the new aggressive sticky about using an apostrophe with the word "fedora". Here is my understanding of English:

The apostrophe is used to denote possession. Hence, saying "tealseal's car" or "Tom's hat" is correct, if referring to the car owned by tealseal or the hat belonging to Tom. Thus, using an apostrophe in "fedora's" needs to indicate the fedora owns something. In fact, your fedora CAN and DOES own many things. Example: "The fedora's brim is 2.5 inches; my fedora's ribbon is brown." The fedora possesses the brim and the ribbon. Just as much as it would be correct to say "my car's engine" or "my bike's tires".
Interestingly, saying "my bikes tires" also doesn't make any sense...if I'm referring to the tires of my multiple bikes, I would need "my bikes' tires". So, if all your fedoras have bound brims you could use "my fedoras' brims are all bound" but you need the apostrophe.

However, multiple fedora hats are "fedoras", not "fedora's", as mentioned in the sticky; I'd just like to point out that there are appropriate uses for "fedora's".

Please, though, if I'm incorrect in my grammar, let me know.
Cheers!
-TS

 

[randooch]

You are spot on, tealseal.

For additional amusement, imagine having a fedora made of some material with a print of little fedoras all over it. Then you could refer to your fedora's fedoras. Or you own two and refer to your fedoras' fedoras.

 

[scottyrocks]

Splendiferous!

 

[tealseal]

You are spot on, tealseal.

For additional amusement, imagine having a fedora made of some material with a print of little fedoras all over it. Then you could refer to your fedora's fedoras. Or you own two and refer to your fedoras' fedoras.

Hahaha. And if the fedoras on your fedora had fedoras on them? Your fedoras' fedoras' fedoras.... "We need to go deeper!" Fedora Inception haha

Thanks for the +1 on my grammatical interpretation.
As the sticky is closed, I'd like to petition the bartenders to make the sticky more relevant and a little less trite. There are appropriate uses for both "fedoras" and "fedora's" on the Lounge; if we're going to be grammar sticklers, why not be complete, and educate the masses about both?

 

[Lt.Tom]

But you did misspell "grammar" in your question =

Ha! I sure did.

 

[tonyb]

Yes, tealseal, you've got the possessive thing right, as well as where the apostrophe is placed in possessive plurals ending in "s." (As distinguished from plural words that don't end in "s," such as "children." In that case, the apostrophe would go before the "s" signifying possession, so it would be "the children's play structures."

Apostrophes are also used to show that letters have been removed, in contractions -- "cannot" becomes "can't," "is not" becomes "isn't," etc. -- and in those one-letter abbreviations, such as the Oakland Athletics becoming the Oakland A's.

I'm heartened by the very existence of this thread. I'm no grammar and usage maven, and I long ago accepted that language changes and that popular usage trumps, no matter my personal take on it, and no matter whether I ever make my peace with it.

Still, a certain level of care in one's use of language can be taken as a sign of respect for one's audience. Lazy punctuation, capitalization, spelling, grammar, etc., etc., confuses the reader, often to the point that meaning is severely compromised, if not lost altogether.

 

[tealseal]

Yes, tealseal, you've got the possessive thing right, as well as where the apostrophe is placed in plurals ending in "s." (As distinguished from plural words that don't end in "s," such as "children." In that case, the apostrophe would go before the "s" signifying possession, so it would be "the children's play structures."

Apostrophes are also used to show that letters have been removed, in contractions -- "cannot" becomes "can't," "is not" becomes "isn't," etc. -- and in those one-letter abbreviations, such as the Oakland Athletics becoming the Oakland A's.

I'm heartened by the very existence of this thread. I'm no grammar and usage maven, and I long ago accepted that language changes and that popular usage trumps, no matter my personal take on it, and no matter whether I ever make my peace with it.

Still, a certain level of care in one's use of language can be taken as a sign of respect for one's audience. Lazy punctuation, capitalization, spelling, grammar, etc., etc., confuses the reader, often to the point that meaning is severely compromised, if not lost altogether.

As a kin of the internet generation, I'm glad that there are still folks that care about language. I, too, accept that language is evolving but somehow even in my text messages I use proper grammar. I'd wager that I'm one of a minority of the 25-35 year old demographic that knows how to properly use a semicolon, a hyphen, an em-dash, and an em-dash (and, for that matter "a" vs "an").

Sigh. Back to our regularly scheduled programming

-TS

Oh PS: Sometimes I confuse English and American spelling. It's not my fault; I grew up in the USA with one year in Australia when I was seven, then moved to Canada for university. Thus, I'll spell centre, colour, and favourite with "re" and "ou" but "honor", not "honour"; I put my punctuation outside of the quotation marks usually; and I am an advocate of the Oxford comma. However, I'm curious about this contraction: "Y'all" is obviously a contraction of "You all", So what about a contraction of "You all are" as "y'all're"? I find it grammatically and visually amusing, but I doubt it's correct. "Y'all're gonna have to pay for the damage to my truck!"

 

[Yeps]

However, I'm curious about this contraction: "Y'all" is obviously a contraction of "You all", So what about a contraction of "You all are" as "y'all're"? I find it grammatically and visually amusing, but I doubt it's correct. "Y'all're gonna have to pay for the damage to my truck!"

Well, I have never seen it written before, but I have certainly heard it, and more than likely spoken it. That is the one difficulty in adapting to the local dialect here. I am consistently unable to replace "y'all" with "yous."

 

[tealseal]

Well, I have never seen it written before, but I have certainly heard it, and more than likely spoken it. That is the one difficulty in adapting to the local dialect here. I am consistently unable to replace "y'all" with "yous."

No, I've not seen it written either. I'm a Coloradan via Canada living in Tucson and I use y'all all the time. It's great! It's like the German "euch" or the Spanish "vosotros". A way to address a group of peers/friends.

However, since major chain store executives have allowed signs saying "15 Items or Less" (as opposed to "15 or Fewer Items" or even "15 Items or Fewer") in their checkout aisles, I doubt a grammatically-correct future is nigh, nor has been for many many years.

 

[tonyb]

I generally attribute variant spellings to simple dialectical differences. Same with placement of quotation marks (especially) and numerous other differing conventions from around the vast English-speaking world.

Whatever the convention, though, it's good to see consistency. I got no problem with "colour," or with closing quotation marks going inside the periods and commas (as contrasted with the American convention, as I followed in this very sentence). I just would rather not see the rules made up as the writer muddled his way along. Rightly or wrongly, readers generally view sloppy, disorganized writing as a sign of sloppy, disorganized thinking.

 

[hatophile]

Ha! I sure did.

Don't feel bad, so did I. Spelling was actually one of my strong points in school. Then I went to Med School. So much for spelling and handwriting.

 

[Lt.Tom]

Tealseal; You're correct on that. Since I moved to the south, I've found myself using "y'all" quite a bit. It makes sense to me. Some of the local language I will never use, though. I may be "preparing to do something", or "getting ready to do something", but I will never be "fixin' to do something". In the spirit of the original thread, as it is the plural of "you", there is no such word as "y'alls". If something belongs to all of you however, it is y'all's........

 

[-30-]

In Ontario (Toronto) Canada a favourite* expression is "You guys", be they male or female.

(North of the 49th spelling.)


Regards,
-30-